News22 Feb 2009


National records by Donato and Cerutti in Turin - Italian indoor champs Day 2

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Fabrizio Donato extends the Italian record to 17.42m in Turin (© Giancarlo Colombo)

Triple jumper Fabrizio Donato and sprinter Fabio Cerutti thrilled the Turin crowd with two Italian records in the second day of the Italian Championships in the Oval Lingotto, the test event of the European Indoor Championships. Unfortunately Cerutti’s hopes to win the Italian 60m title after equalling the Italian record with 6.55 in the semifinals were dashed by a false start disqualification in the final.

The highlight of day two of a highly dramatic 40th edition of the Italian Indoor Championships came from Donato, the Italian outdoor and indoor record holder (fourth at last year’s World Indoor Championships in Valencia) who leapt to 17.42m setting the new Italian indoor record in the sixth round, producing the second furthest jump in the world this season behind Teddy Tamgho’s 17.58m. Donato, who also holds the national outdoor record with 17.60m, backed up this record with a second best leap over the 17 metres barrier of 17.25m in the fifth round.

“I suffer from a groin injury but I decided to live with this problem and to not undergo surgery. I thank my coach Roberto Pericoli who has been training me for fifteen years,” Donato said.

Italian athletics hope Daniele Greco, fourth at the 2008 World Junior Championships in Bydszgosz, broke his own national under-23 record improving it from 16.56 to 16.83, the fifth furthest all-time jump in Italy and secured his berth for the European Indoor Championships. Last week Greco, who holds a 100m PB of 10.38 as a junior, won 60m and in the Triple Jump at the U-23 championships last week in Ancona.

Cerutti fast in the semis, and too fast in the final

With five men able to run between 6.55 and 6.66 this winter the men’s 60 metres final was one of the much-anticipated finals of the entire championships programme. The Italian title and three berths in the Italian team for the European Indoor Championships provided drama even before the start of the final.

Fabio Cerutti kicked off the second day on a high note equalling the national 60metres record with 6.55 (third fastest time in Europe this year) in the semifinals. Cerutti, who is also the third fastest Italian sprinter in history in the 100m outdoors with 10.13, tied Pierfrancesco Pavoni and Simone Collio on the Italian 60m all-time list.

“When I saw that I was in the lead, I decided to push to the finish-line,” Cerutti said. Last weekend Cerutti won his second IAAF Indoor Permit Meeting of the year in Karlsruhe in 6.58 which followed a victory in the Moscow Russian Winter meeting in 6.64. But the expectations of winning a national title in his home town turned into a nightmare for Cerutti, one of the greatest Italian sprint talents in recent years. The nerve-wrecking final was full of drama. Cerutti was disqualified for a false start and in the final, without the fastest man in Italy, the race was robbed by a possible attack on the national record. Simone Collio cruised to the victory in 6.63 edging out Emanuele Di Gregorio who clocked 6.64.

“I am not very happy because the win does not mean a lot without Fabio, the fastest man in Italy,” said Collio, a disappointed winner who ran his seasonal best of 6.60 in Stuttgart.     

Local favourite Elena Romagnolo, Olympic 3000m Steeplechase finalist in Beijing, held off 2007 european indoor bronze medallist Silvia Weissteiner in the women’s 3000 metres with 8:54.14, the fourth best time in the Italian all-time lists and qualified for the European Indoor Championships.

Anita Pistone also secured her spot on the Italian team for the continental championships winning the women’s 60m in 7.33 after clocking 7.34 in the morning heats.

World seasonal leader Elisa Cusma took the second Italian title of this weekend clinching the 800m with the greatest of ease in 2:04.83. “I ran this race as a training test,” said Cusma.

Former world bronze medallist Magdelin Martinez was another athlete who booked a berth for the European Indoor Championships on home turf taking the national Triple Jump title with a best leap to 14.28m (seventh in the world seasonal list) with a second best jump to 14.16m.

Nicola Ciotti, who cleared 2.30m this winter in Banska Bystrica, took the men’s High Jump national title with a clearance of 2.27m on the second attempt beating Alessandro Talotti (2.25m) and his twin brother Giulio Ciotti (2.25m). Daniele Meucci edged out Yuri Floriani in a dramatic men’s 3000metres where both shared the same time of 8:03.48.

Diego Sampaolo for the IAAF 

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